True Love - Precious Christmas Gift

Dear Friends,

Wishing you all a Merry and Blessed Christmas. Hope you enjoy my little gift to you... a true story.... True Love. Hope it will make you cry and laugh.

But the greatest true love is the unconditional love of our Lord Jesus.! Amazing how He lay his life for you and me! "John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

This is the greatest gift you and I can ever receive as a Christmas present!

Choo

T R U E L O V E

All of a sudden, I felt this hunch that I must make a trip back to Penang. It had been quite some time since I went back and I felt this urgency to prioritise my visit. I love my second brother and aunt very much, and of late, aunt has not been very well. I am one of those who prefer to give bouquets to people when they are still alive, rather than at their funeral, for then it will be too late for people to appreciate my flowers!

At the same time, I thought I might as well take the opportunity to accept the church invitation for their 50th anniversary celebration. This is the church where I attended Sunday School and where I first learnt of the miracles peformed by Jesus.

At the anniversary service, while we were singing hymns, I happened to turn around, and lo and behold, was the most glorious and joyful facial expression I had ever seen.! The smile was so radiant that momentarily I was mesmerised! The person smiling was seated in a wheel chair... a man of about 30 years of age who was also quite hunched, so that with his bent posture, he appeared even smaller. He noticed my look of surprise, and smiled even more. I smiled back, wondering who he was.

Later, at the church dinner, I noticed the same person again. This time, there was a lovely lady beside him. I asked my brother who the person was. Brother told me that Teddy was one of the counsellors in a christian organisation that helped the handicapped in Penang. The lovely lady beside him was his wife, Tracy.

Brother continued his story. Tracy, a university graduate, helped out as a volunteer at the Centre, and gradually fell in love with Teddy, a polio victim. A lovely lady, with winsome personality, she was wooed by many suitors, but she found Teddy to be the most attractive of them all. Her family, angered by her poor choice of a husband, decided to disown her, but she stood up for Teddy. Brother also told me that at their wedding, a reporter of a local tabloid cruelly made a joke, and insensitively commented that the incident reminded him of a beautiful flower thrown onto a mound of cow dung!

My kind brother commented that if he were Teddy, he would not have married Tracy, because the burden for her would be just too great! Brother was surprised when I told him that if I were Tracy, I would do the same if I were to meet someone of noble character, regardless of his handicap! It would have to be God's will for only God would be the one to give special strength and blessings. for such a union.

I walked over to greet the lovely couple. I introduced myself and told them that in the near future, I would visit them to write their full story. Tears filled my eyes, as I saw how Tracy pushed Teddy on the wheelchair and how, petite as she was, she managed to lift him from the wheelchair and load him onto the front passenger seat of her van. What a memorable sight! What great demonstration of true love! Such a capable and beautiful lady! I marvelled at how such a small lady could drive such a big van, with not only her disabled husband in the passenger seat, but with four other disabled friends in tow!

I shared the above story with my French customer, Frederic at Rialto. "Ah cowdung! That reminds me. I've a story to share with you Choo," Frederic suddenly beamed.

"A lovely, succulent apple and a mound of cowdung were resting near to each other. The rosy, red apple was radiant and beaming. But when the apple noticed that the smelly, ugly mound of cowdung was trying to be a little too friendly, she pouted and sulked.

"Come on, pretty Apple. Life is short. Be happy and cheerful! Give me your sweetest smile. I know I'm ugly and smelly, but I'm of good character and I can be your trusworthy friend." The apple sulked even more. Her disdain was obvious for all to see.

Just then, a cow came along, and picked up the juicy apple in his mouth.
The cowdung shouted, "A bientot! Mon chere!" (Goodbye, see you soon, my dear!)

Gan Chau